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  4. Review: New Springfield Armory Optics-Ready TRP AOS 1911 Pistol

Springfield Armory on Tuesday debuted a line of eight new TRP 1911 models featuring the Agency Optic System in both .45 ACP and 9mm variants. We've been wringing one out for the past several weeks and have a full report. 
 

Table of Contents

Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion
 

Overview

 

Springfield currently catalogs numerous 1911 families – all with forged (not cast) major components – starting at the entry-level Mil-Spec, Garrison, and Ronin series guns, then moving up to the Operator, Emissary, and Loaded lines, until you get to the top shelf which is inhabited by the Tactical Response Pistol, or TRP, long the company's premium single-action pistol. What makes the TRP so good? 

Back in the 1990s, the FBI was in the market for a pistol to equip its elite Hostage Rescue Team and regional SWAT teams, and the contract went to Springfield in 1998 for 500 M1911s crafted to very tight specs via meticulous hand-fitting in the SA Custom Shop. Shortly after, the Marines ordered a batch of 150 similar pistols for its MEU(SOC) units. The HRT contract gun soon morphed into the Professional Model and eventually the TRP, which has gone on to become legendary over the past couple of decades.
 

Related Review: Springfield Armory 1911 TRP – Developed for The FBI, Enjoyed By All


Standard features on today's TRPs – going beyond the careful selection and fitment of components – include front strap checkering at 20 lines per inch, forward slide serrations, sighting plane serrations, the company's Gen 2 Speed Trigger, a skeletonized hammer, premium sights, a straight mainspring housing, and G10 grips.

New for 2025 are eight optics-ready models, all equipped with an Agency Arms optics sighting system, and offered in 9mm – a first for the TRP. Priced at $1,999 across the board (we told you these were Springfield's top shelf 1911s), there are full-sized all-steel 5-inch railed models in either black or Coyote Brown and in .45 and 9mm, as well as a lightweight Commander-length (4.25-inch) Carry Contour series in the same calibers and color options. 

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The new optics-ready TRPs are available in .45 ACP and 9mm, black and Coyote, and 5-inch Government or 4.25-inch Commander fastback profiles. (Photos: Springfield Armory).

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
We are featuring a Coyote Commander-length Carry Contour TRP AOS in 9mm in this review; light and optic are not included. (Photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

 

For full disclosure, Springfield sent Guns.com this handgun for review purposes. All testing was done on this one pistol, which has been under evaluation since February.

 

The Specs

 

  • Model: Commander-length Coyote TRP AOS in 9mm (PC9127LRCB-CCAOS)
  • Overall length: 7.9 inches
  • Barrel length: 4.25 inches 
  • Sight radius: 5.75 inches
  • Overall width: 1.3 inches at the widest point over the ambi safety levers, slide is 0.91 inches.
  • Overall height: 5.5 ­inches
  • Magazine capacity: 9+1 round standard 1911 pattern (ships with three steel Metalform mags)
  • Trigger pull: 4.5 pounds (10-pull average)
  • Weight, with empty magazine: 27.3 ounces
  • Weight, loaded/equipped: 40.9 ounces (with 10 rounds of Speer 124-grain JHP, Leupold Delta Point Pro optic, and Surefire X300 light)
  • MRD Optic Footprint: AOS plate system, six patterns available.

 

Features

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The commander-length Carry Contour TRP AOS runs a 4.25-inch barrel that gives it an overall length of 7.9 inches. The pistol has tastefully understated manufacturer’s roll marks and banners, with the slide being almost completely smooth and unmarked on the left side. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Weight, due to its lightweight frame, is 27.3 ounces unloaded. Of note that's about 12 ounces less than all-steel commander-length 1911s. The slide is forged carbon steel, the barrel is forged stainless steel, and the frame is forged aluminum alloy. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Field-stripping like any other 1911, the Carry Contour TRP AOS features a commander-length GI-style recoil system. Of note, the TRP is what would be described by 1911 fans as a Series 70-style pistol, meaning it doesn't have a firing pin safety block and related spongy trigger found in Series 80 designs. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Note that the components have been carefully selected and matched for fitting. The TRP has a rock-solid feel to it and a tight lockup. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The match-grade barrel has a fully supported ramp at the chamber, and, with a GI-style guide rod, a bushing wrench is not required for disassembly. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The top of the slide has finely cut sighting plane serrations that help cut down glare by diffusing light. Note the lowered and flared ejection port, which helps with reliability. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The Hydra G10 grip panels by VZ are excellent when it comes to texture, while not being too aggressive and sharp. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The fastback bobtail design of the Carry Contour eliminates the traditional hot spot of the rear grip digging into the heel of the user's palm. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Meanwhile, the front strap has evenly spaced 20-LPI checkering that is well done and helps maintain control. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Surface controls include ambidextrous safety/slide lock levers that are well-made and easy to use. Note the black controls offset against the Coyote Brown Cerakote. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The Carry Contour TRP AOS ships with three nine-round single-stack magazines made by Metalform. They are steel and carry a Teflon coating. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The excellent installed sights are suppressor-height and include a black serrated rear and Tritium front. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Going past the installed irons, the Agency Optic System removes the top cover and the fixed rear sight for replacement by one of six different mounting plates that allow for about every common micro red/green dot reflex sight. The AOS plates are precision-machined from ASTM steel and coated in black nitride. Springfield has already offered the AOS system on its Operator and Prodigy DS lines with success. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Each TRP comes with the cover plate installed, and the customer receives a coupon to purchase the AOS plate of their choice at a discounted $49 price. The company sent us a 15B on request, which fits the EoTech EFLX, Bushnell RXS-250/RXS-100, or Leupold DeltaPoint Pro footprint. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
While the DPP has a high deck – Springfield notes it is one of the few sights that don't allow co-witnessing with the AOS system – most other optics do not have the same problem. Those planning to use, say, an Aimpoint Acro, Trijicon RMR/SRO, or a Holosun C/K would have better luck. Nonetheless, we found the system to remain solid throughout testing without loss of zero or shift of POI. 
Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The Picatinny accessory rail on the dust cover is long enough for full-sized WMLs such as the Surefire X300, while still allowing the use of smaller lights like the Streamlight TLR-7.

 

Trigger

 

The installed skeletonized Gen 2 speed trigger on our test TRP had almost no pre-travel, a crisp break at 4.5 pounds on average right out of the box, and a short reset. It is a good trigger. 

See the trigger in action on the range:

 

 

Reliability

 

We had the 9mm variant of the TRP, something that didn't exist until this year, and ran several different loads through it throughout 500 rounds of testing. 

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
Ammunition used in testing has leaned heavily on 115-grain Blazer FMJ, 124-grain Federal Syntech, 147-grain Syntech Training Match, and 150-grain Syntech Action pistol when it comes to training rounds and an assortment of Federal and Speer JHPs. 

 

The TRP had zero reportable mechanical issues, although we did come away with a user-induced minor injury in testing, zapping the corner of the palm between the magwell and magazine while ramming in a reload in speed drills. Nothing that a Band-Aid and a little shame couldn't fix. 

 

Accuracy

 

The TRP, using the installed fixed sights and 5.75-inch sight radius, proved easy to use to keep inside the critical zone of every target we used out to 25. Fist-sized groups abounded at the 7 and 15. Pushing back to the 25 kept all rounds inside the 5-zone of an ICE QT "Ronnie" target with a little effort. Installing the Leupold allowed hits out well past that. 

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
A 25-yard group with the TRP, with irons. 

 

Pros & Cons

 

Pros

  • Good ergonomics
  • High quality
  • Agency system allows lots of footprint choices for optics
  • Good fixed sights made to co-witness with most optics
  • Reliable
  • Accessory rail
  • Offered in both full (5-inch) and commander (4.25-inch) formats
  • Offered in both 9mm and .45 ACP
  • Offered in both black and Coyote
  • Decent trigger

Cons

  • $2K entry fee 
  • Direct mount purists will still not be happy

 

Conclusion

 

We found the new Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS to look good, feel great, and run like a gazelle. The slide-to-frame fit is legit, and the gun has no slop. The AOS system allows for lots of different optics, and it is great that SA is now making the TRP in a 9mm option, even if some consider such a thing in a 1911 platform to be an abomination. 

The only rocks we can find to throw on this one are that the asking price of $1,999 is a bit steep, even in today's inflated dollars, and that, perhaps a direct mount ACRO footprint would be a bigger hit. 

For those wanting to get most of the way there for about half the cost, the Springfield Operator AOS is a great option that still gives a good optics-ready 1911 rail gun available in either .45 or 9mm, just not with the polish, fit, and finish that you find on the TRP. 

But there is something to be said about the tactical elegance of a TRP. 

 

Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS 9mm
The Springfield Armory Carry Contour TRP AOS, seen equipped with a Leupold Delta Point Pro red dot optic and a Surefire X300B Turbo white light.

 

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